Jackson Purchase Historical Society

Stories of Interest from the Hickman Courier from August 28, 1874

• Henry Buchannan and Dee Barnes opened a new store on the Millet Block in Hickman this week.
• The Steam Wagon Factory in Hickman reported producing its 500th wagon.
• M. Coffee of the steam furniture factory departed Hickman last week to tour the South to further expand his business.
• The Beechwood Seminary in Hickman was scheduled to open on August 31^st.
• The next session of Miss Addie L. Garrett’s school in Hickman was to start on August 31^st.
• A “splendidly illuminated” lawn party was held at the residence of George Rice on the night of August 21^st. The party was “kept up until the wee small hours, dancing to the delightful music discoursed by Prof. Will James’ Brass and Strung Band.”
• Farmers in the region believed that the corn yield in the region would be about half the average.
• Reverend J. J. Page was expected to preach at the Hickman Episcopal Church on August 30^th.
• Joseph M. Bigger won the election for Circuit Court Judge for the First Judicial District with 3,468 votes.
• The Fulton County Bar met at the Fulton County Court House on August 19^th to formally thank A. R. Boon for his service as Circuit Court Judge for the First Judicial District. In return, Judge Boon gave a short address thanking the members of the bar.
• Sheriff John F. Tyler took two prisoners from Hickman to the State Penitentiary on the morning of August 25^th.
• Hickman’s black community, through the local Colored Benevolent Society, “expressed their denial of any unlawful purposes and earnestly [asked] the white people to investigate to their own satisfaction and see that no evil intent [was] cherished by the colored people.”
• A Fulton County man declared he killed 105 snakes on August 21^st. A mother snake allegedly swallowed 104 little snakes, and he killed the mother snake.
• The Masters and Overseers of the Granges of Hickman and Fulton counties planned to meet near Moscow on August 31^st.
• A dead body washed up on a sand bar below Columbus on August 26^th and was believed to be that of the drayman Frank Nixon.
• A large Baptist revival was in progress in Woodland Mills.
• The Patrons of Husbandry from three lodges met near Tiptonville, Tennessee on August 15th for a grand picnic. Over 500 spectators witnessed the membership parade with their “badges and decorations of the Order and insignia of their respective offices.” W. H. Anderson was the Grand Marshal of the day and William Maxwell, Master of the Tennessee State Grange, gave an eloquent speech.
• Investors in the Paducah & Memphis Railroad in Dyersburg, Tennessee planned to sue the Railroad for fraud after the company did not construct a railroad to the city.
• Fifteen black men were shot and killed in Trenton, Tennessee on the evening of August 25^th. A large contingent of white men collected and arrested the sixteen black men for “inciting hostilities against whites.” After being placed in the Gibson County jail an estimated 400 white men removed the prisoners and killed fourteen and mortally wounded the fifteenth. The next day rumors floated that a force of between 600 and 1,000 armed black men were marching toward the city. Companies of white men were “organized hastily” and 75 volunteers from Union City arrived in Trenton to assist with the towns defense. Scouts were sent out to investigate, but no armed force of black men were located.
• R. H. Finch of Madrid Bend died at the residence of her brother on August 19^th at the age of 33.
• Zach Elliott, a resident of Western Kentucky for many years, died in Cairo, Illinois the week prior.

Stories of Interest from the Hickman Courier from August 21, 1874

• The Hickman City Council met on August 17^th to discuss and settle city worker salaries and pay debts for services rendered by individuals to repair roads.
• The Hickman City Marshal warned visitors to the city not to bring their dogs as they may be mistaken as strays and killed.
• Reverend J. Bunyon Stephens, of the “Old School” Baptist Church, delivered a stirring sermon at the Hickman Baptist Church on August 18^th. He planned to return to Hickman in October to organize a Primitive Baptist Church.
• The new law firm of Crossland & Walker was established in Hickman and composed of Edward Crossland and B. R. Walker.
• Corn crops in the region were reported as ruined due to the draught and that in some localities forest trees were dying. Farmers were in such desperate need of water that they traveled miles to the Mississippi River to fill containers. Cisterns in the city were “generally empty” and most families were supplied solely by the river.
• The Fulton County Circuit Court adjourned on August 19^th.
• The Grand Jury of Fulton County signed a resolution expressing their appreciation for Judge A. R. Boon and Commonwealth Attorney C. L. Randle for their faithful service to the citizens of the county.
• Two men were sent to the State Penitentiary from Fulton County, Sanford Creed for “shooting with the intent to kill” for one year and two years for Joseph Rheamer for the theft of “sundry contents.”
• The Directors of the Fulton County Fair planned to meet on August 22nd.
• R. Boon spoke in Hickman stating would support a convention in the First Congressional District to select a Democratic candidate.
• John W. Cowgill, a Deputy Chief Templar at the Hickman Lodge, had his commission revoked on August 18^th when it was found he voted against prohibiting the sale of alcohol in Fulton County.
• Smith Taylor, who was recently elected Hickman County Court Clerk, was accused of apprehending “illegal votes” by his opponent James D. Moss. Moss sought to contest the election. Taylor hired former Congressman Ed Crossland as his attorney.
• A pig with a “half-human face and head … signs of a large tusk on one side of the mouth,” and an “elephant’s trunk extended from the forehead” was born in Columbus. Some believed that the pig’s mother was impregnated by an elephant that was with a touring circus that visited Columbus some months earlier.
• Thomas J. Pickett was reported to be “heartedly” endorsed by the Republican Party as the candidate for Congress in the First District.
• Complaints had been made by citizens of Fulton County that publicly supported schools were “not accomplishing the objects for which they were organized” and many blamed the superintendent and commissioners.
• The Beechwood Seminary in Hickman scheduled their fall session to begin on August 31^st. The tuition costs were between $10 and $25 depending on the subjects to be taught.
• A Teacher’s Institute for Fulton County was scheduled to be conducted on August 24^th at the Pleasant Hill School House near Cayce Station.
• The election for Circuit Court Clerk in Ballard County wound up a draw between William Jenkins and William Wray. Wray contested the vote.
• A man by the name of McNeil was shot and killed by Crittenden Rowan on the Blandville and Cairo road on August 19th. The two feuding men had met on the road where Rowan discharged both barrels of his shotgun at McNeil. Rowan escaped and had yet to be captured.
• Three men were killed in Lake County, Tennessee opposite Point Pleasant, Missouri on August 15th. The cause that led to the demise of the men was a rivalry over the ferrying business across the Mississippi River. Albert Nolle leased the privileges of a ferry boat from General Darnell, but shortly afterwards Darnell began another ferrying service that undercut Nolle. Nolle filed suit against Darnell and the trial was set for August 15^th beneath “some shade trees near the Darnell Ferry.” Before the trail was to begin, “harsh words passed” between an associate of Darnell named Coe and Nolle. A fight ensued whereby Coe was knocked down and Darnell later drew a pistol, and shots were fired. Darnell was struck twice in the abdomen, Nolle was shot and killed along with another man named Trentham. The captain of Darnell’s ferry was wounded in the shoulder. Darnell was taken to his home where he later died of his wounds.
• William McMahon had his shoes stolen from him while asleep on a bench in Union City, Tennessee.
• Cordie Osborne, daughter of William Osborne of Union City, broke her arm earlier in the week while playing see-saw with another girl.
• James D. Porter, of Henry County, Tennessee, was nominated for Governor of Tennessee in Nashville by the Democratic Party on August 19^th. Porter was a 35-year-old lawyer, Circuit Judge of the Paris District, and served as a Confederate officer during the Civil War.
• The Jackson Dispatch reported that black men were arming themselves throughout West Tennessee. Gunsmiths in the region were receiving frequent requests to repair guns and pistols from black men.
• The steamer Grand Tower sunk on August 17^th near Cairo, Illinois.
• Eliza J. Welch, age 29, died on August 6^th at the home of S. W. Lauderdale near Hickman. She was the wife of John H. Welch, former officer in the Confederate Army, that died on September 12, 1866.
• Emma Bell Kirkpatrick, youngest daughter of Joseph and Sarah Kirkpatrick, died on August 15^th in Hickman.
• Mattie A. Drewery, wife of Theodore W. Drewery, died of heart disease on August 17^th near Hickman.
• John (Winston) Hawkins died at Woodland Mills on the night of August 18^th.

Stories of Interest from the Hickman Courier from August 14, 1874

• William C. Robinson, of Union City, Tennessee, was arrested in Hickman on August 8^th for passing counterfeit bills. He placed a bond of $400 the next day to appear at the Circuit Court but he did arrive at the appointed time.
• Some men in Hickman spoke of organizing a military company under the “State militia law” in response to racial “troubles” occurring in Tennessee and Mississippi.
• R. Boone and Oscar Turner, both candidates for Congress, met in Hickman on August 10^th to discuss the politics of the day. The editor of the Hickman Courier wrote that the Democratic Party could be “feel proud of the ability displayed by both” during the debate.
• Congressman Edward Crossland addressed a “very respectable number of citizens” before the Fulton County Court House on August 12^th. He gave an account of his past accomplishments during his last term in Congress and discussed other points of political interest. Later that night he was serenaded at the Planters House and the next day the Hickman Coronet Band played a concert for him at the residence of A. A. Faris.
• There were 1,026 votes polled in Fulton County during the last election, the largest vote ever recorded in the county.
• James Goalder was appointed by the Fulton County Court as constable to District No. 6.
• The Fulton County Circuit Court met in Hickman on August 10^th with Judge A. R. Boon presiding.
• L. Shaler, the State geologist of Kentucky, toured Fulton County on August 8^th and 9^th to evaluate a proposed project to construct a levee from Hickman to Tiptonville. He predicted the county’s “bottomlands” would be the “garden to supply St. Louis, Chicago, etc., with their vegetables.”
• A warning was issued by landowners of the Mississippi River bottoms in Fulton County not to graze any cattle on their land due to the drought and scarcity of crops.
• The Rosewell Institute at Jordan Station planned to start classes on September 7^th. To board a student at the school was $12 a month.
• Thomas J. Pickett, editor of the Paducah Commercial, announced himself as an “independent Republican candidate for Congress.” Pickett served as an officer with the 132^nd Illinois Infantry Regiment that was garrisoned at Paducah during the Civil War. In response, longtime Republican Lucian Anderson remarked that he would “throw the weight of his influence for one of the present Democratic candidates.”
• Charley Ross stabbed and killed Jim Arthur in Ballard County.
• The three-year-old daughter of John Lively, Julian Ann Lively, was abducted from Henderson and believed to be in Western Kentucky.
• Joshua Tipton was elected sheriff and J. B. Arnett was elected Circuit Court Clerk in Lake County, Tennessee.
• Elders Fain, [J. Bunyan] Stephens, and Mullins, eminent clergymen of the Primitive Baptist Church, were scheduled to preach at Union City on August 16^th.
• Newly elected Obion County, Tennessee officers included P. W. Duncan as Sheriff, Coleman Goad as Circuit Court Clerk, E. D. Faris as County Clerk, J. D. Moultrie as County Trustee, W. H. Holleman as County Tax Collector, and John E. Evans as County Register.
• Rumors of an insurrection among the black population in Obion, Weakley, Carroll, and Henry counties in Tennessee were reported rampant in the region. Stories of black men “drilling, supplying themselves with arms ammunition, and indulging in promiscuous threats toward certain localities.” In response, local white men organized and armed themselves as communities prepared for expected attacks.
• The Dyersburg Progress reported that both the corn and cotton crops in Dyer County, Tennessee were “looking well” but that other portions in the region are almost a total failure.
• A weekly mail route was proposed between Dyersburg and Hickman via Clemons’ Gin, Merriwether’s Ferry, Robinson’s Store, and Wilsonville.
• The McKenzie Times reported that on August 11^th that a unwanted lady at the McKenzie House was removed from the hotel by Cap Null, who “chaperoned her to the door with the nether extremity of his boot.”
• J. Parker, ex-mayor of Metropolis, Illinois began publishing a newspaper in the city titled the Metropolis Semi-Weekly Democrat.

The Jackson Purchase Historical Society will meet at Temple Israel, 330 Joe Clifton Drive in Paducah at 10:30 am on Saturday, August 17. The program will focus on General U. S. Grant’s General Order expelling Jews from the territory under his command. The program is free and all who are interested are welcome to attend. Unfortunately, the program will not be available via ZOOM but will be recorded and posted on the JPHS website in the near future.

The program, entitled “Grant, Kaskel, and the Infamous General Order No. 11” will be presented by Roy Hensel who will explore the reasons why Grant issued the order, the strong response it elicited at the time that led to its quick revocation, and the questions it raised about Grant and antisemitism at the time, and which continue to captivate historians today.

Roy Hensel is a retired educator who taught in the Carlisle County and McCracken County school systems. He is a Paducah Ambassador and a well-known local historian in the Jackson Purchase who shares his research findings especially on Carlisle and McCracken counties on social media, through lectures, and walking tours frequently.

Temple Israel traces its origins to 1864 when the Paducah Chevra Yeshrum Burial Society was established. The congregation was chartered in 1871 as Kehillah Kodesh Bene Yeshurum (“Holy Community of the People of Righteousness”) when it established its first synagogue, on South Fifth Street. In 1873 it became a charter member of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. In 1893, the congregation changed its name from Bene Yeshurum to Temple Israel. The current synagogue building, dedicated in May 1963, is at the corner of Madison and Joe Clifton Drive, designed by Cincinnati-based architects, Pepinsky, Grau, Shroud, and Shorr.

Stories of Interest from the Hickman Courier from August 7, 1874

• John W. Cowgill was elected the Judge of the Hickman City Court by a majority of 89 votes. John W. Cole was elected City Marshal by a majority vote of 92.
• The Fulton County election winners were John F. Tyler – Sheriff, J. H. Montgomery – County Judge, William H. Taylor – Jailor, B. F. Hubert – Assessor, Robert McConnell – Surveyor, G. B. Prather – County Attorney, John A. Wilson – County Court Clerk, and J. Tap Bynum – Circuit Court Clerk.
• The Hickman County election winners were M. Vaughn – Sheriff, Thomas G. Poore – Circuit Clerk, Smith Taylor – County Clerk, Gideon J. Binford – County Judge, and H. H. Winters – Jailer.
• W. Robertson, of Graves County, won a very close election against Joseph M. Bigger for Circuit Judge of the First District.
• The Hickman City Council met on August 3^rd where John W. Cowgill was declared City Judge for four years and John W. Cole as City Marshal for two years. The council also ordered that brick sidewalks be placed along Clinton Street between Kentucky and Ohio Streets and between Clinton and Water Streets.
• The black citizens on Hickman celebrated the anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation on August 4^th with a picnic and speeches made by Thomas Warrick, Harrison Atkins, Frank Thompson, Thomas Bogy, and Ike Bowden. The event was sponsored by the Colored Benevolent Society of Hickman and found to be “orderly and well behaved throughout.”
• An excursion party from Hickman to Cairo was planned for August 9th. The round trip was set at $2.00, and the Hickman Cornet Band was scheduled to provide entertainment during the excursion.
• A protracted meeting at the Hickman Baptist Church had been in “progress for the past two weeks” and has produced considerable interest in the community. Reverend Achilles D. Sears of Clarksville, Tennessee was scheduled to preach a series of sermons.
• Reverend J. J. Page was scheduled to have a sermon on the “laying on of hands” at St. Paul’s Church on August 9^th.
• On August 3^rd the Hickman Lodge, No. 96, of the International Organization of Good Templars installed R. M. Metheny as Worthy Chief Templar, A. D. Kingman as Past Worth Chief Templar, and Ellen Harding as Worthy Vice Templar.
• Charles Steiman, a married man, and Parthenia Kingman eloped on the night of August 4^th to St. Louis. However, it was reported that Parthenia was already engaged to William Steiman, the younger brother of Charles.
• The Fulton Gazette reported the death of James Hail a prominent member of the International Organization of Good Templars and business community.
• The Local Option Law to restrict the sale of liquor carried in the precincts of Moscow and Benton.
• J. Grubbs of Caldwell County was the father of twenty-five children, seventeen by his present wife.
• The Republican Party in Paducah resolved that it “would be unwise and impolitic for the Republican Party of this district to place any candidate in the field.”
• G. Craig sued the City of Paducah for $300 for the “loss of a valuable dog” killed by a member of the city police force.
• B. Morton began publishing the Union City Reveille, a weekly paper which was “conservative in tone.”
• A lack of stock water was “very seriously felt” by the farmers of Obion County, Tennessee.
• The construction of a cotton factory in Gardner, Tennessee was discussed by the community.
• The McKenzie Times reported that “monster rattle snake” was seen near Peeks Bridge on the middle fork of the Obion River in Weakley County, Tennessee. According to a man who witnessed the snake, the head of the reptile was at “least six inches across” and as long as a “man’s body.”
• H. Pate and B. V. Allen, both of McKenzie, Tennessee, were married by Reverend A. L. Pritchett at the residence of D. A. Janes in East Jackson, Tennessee.